


It's HoliCray

by ibecomeaffinity



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Retail, Black Friday, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, F/M, I just want to be safe, It's really not that bad, M for language and suggestive content, New Years, POV Ben Solo, Rey is cute af, Thanksgiving, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Wal-Mart Kylo has become a thing for me, it's all in there
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-09-15 05:54:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16927701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ibecomeaffinity/pseuds/ibecomeaffinity
Summary: Ben Solo has found himself stuck working at a Wal-Mart in the middle of nowhere during the holiday season. It's just as bad as you could imagine, but thankfully he has a new coworker who is making things infinitely better.





	It's HoliCray

**Author's Note:**

> Shout out to firstly to [bb_kate_art](https://twitter.com/bb_kate_art) on twitter (and instagram!) for constantly supplying my love for Wal-Mart kylo and inspiring this piece. And secondly, a warm, aggressive, massively thankful hug to [weddersins](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Weddersins/pseuds/Weddersins) for being the most perfect beta in the entire world. I couldn't do this without you, my love! Check out both of these lovelies because they are so talented and wonderful and deserve all of your love.

His boss was in a foul mood tonight.

 

More foul than usual.

 

“Does this  _ look _ right to you, Solo? Really?”

 

Ben offered a mumbled ‘No’ and started rearranging the blu-rays in front of him. Honestly, he had no idea what he was doing. He had been told ‘put the new releases over there’, and that had been the extent of it. He had been trying to make it look orderly, but clearly was doing a terrible job.

 

It didn’t help that Hux was on a power trip. The man acted like they worked the most important job of this century. He carried on as if perfect displays were how the world was going to find peace and prosperity. The reality was that they were in the electronics department of a Wal-Mart in bumfuck nowhere. They provided nonessential items to a bunch of rednecks and that was the end of it.

 

This was merely a paycheck.

 

A temporary paycheck.

 

Ben had been working at Wal-Mart just over three months at this point. Substantially longer than he had ever intended, but fate did not favor him these days. The company where he had previously been employed went under - fast. Word got out that money was funneling through not particularity legal means. In order to avoid lawsuits they closed up shop and vanished in the wind. He had had an inkling of what was going on, but not really. He had just been along for the ride, enjoying the massive amounts of disposable income.

 

Now he was dipping into his savings to survive and living with his parents and working at a  _ fucking Wal-Mart. _

 

“Get up!” Hux was yelling at him, and he had totally spaced.  _ Whoops . _

 

“Sorry, what was that?” he gruffed, standing up and giving a sidelong glance to his boss. Hux stared at him incredulously before stomping forward and looking him in the eye. Ben was tall, and was used to being able to intimidate people that way. But Hux was tall too, and maintained eye level with him.

 

“I said get in the back and grab the boxes of micro-usb’s. You can’t handle this, so restock! Go!” he waved his hand dismissively before turning back to the new release display. Ben resisted the urge to stick out his tongue. Something about Hux drove him to be juvenile. He managed to keep his lips sealed and made his way back to the stockroom.

 

It was the weekend before Thanksgiving, which meant the days were insane but the night shift was fairly normal - if not a little elevated. Come Tuesday it would become absolutely mental and wouldn’t stop until well after new year. (because returns season is almost as bad as shopping season.) Ben never had the intention of being here for the holidays, and so he had not mentally prepared for all that was to come. 

 

He entered the stock room with a few button punches, a glower written on his face. He initially had quite a few interviews, people jumping at his name. But when rumors started circulating about his former employer, the phone calls stopped coming in and lined up meetings suddenly fell through. Heading back home, no one knew all the scandal. He was just Han and Leia’s boy. There were  _ a lot _ of cons to that. But the single, soul-saving, shimmering pro was that he landed a job immediately.

 

A shit job.

 

But a job nonetheless.

 

A job that currently had him wading through a stupid amount of boxes that were  _ all _ the same color and size because  _ why not? Sensical organization? We don’t know her.  _

 

He hunched down and began looking at the labels, trying to move quickly before Hux came looking for him. Half of the boxes were for a different department, someone in day shift slacking off as usual.

 

As he was flipping a rather large box around to see the label, he was knocked into from behind. Because of the way he was crouched there was no hope of regaining his balance -  before he had a chance to react he was pitched face forward into the mass of cardboard and edges. His hands instinctively shot out to protect himself, his shirt and vest riding up to his shoulders, ass high in the air as he crumpled into a heap on the floor.  

 

Dear God let it not be Hux behind him.

 

“Oh no, oh god, oh shit, oh no.”

 

Definitely not Hux. Ben let out a groan and began to right himself, pulling down his shirt, and running a hand through his disheveled hair. He fell back onto his knees and took a deep breath before shooting his assailant  _ a look . _

 

“Oh…fuck.” She mumbled. Her face was bright red, amber flecked brown eyes wide. She looked entirely embarrassed and utterly frazzled. Her hair was in a messy bun, loose strands falling every which way. Her “Hi I'm in training” vest swallowing her whole. She was adorable.

 

“I’m  _ so _ sorry. I was backing up, I wasn’t looking. I’m totally lost in here. It’s my first day, Phasma sent me back here for terracotta pots and obviously they’re not anywhere over here so I don’t know what I was thinking  _please forgive me._ Truly, I’m so sor-”

 

Ben held up a hand, her ramblings came to an abrupt halt. She was shaking.  _ Holy shit, who is this poor kid? _

 

“Don’t apologize. It’s fine, honest.” he gave her a thumbs up.  _ Why? _ He started wallowing at that, brain going into overtime with self-recriminations. Who gives a thumbs up? Are they five? What was he thinking? What a fucking dork. It would be kind of the earth to just open up and eat him whole - but then she started giggling. 

 

He looked inquisitively at her and finally stood up off of the floor.

 

“Thanks for that,” she was positively beaming. “I’m so nervous and you’re the first person I’ve run into that isn’t a total hard-ass.”

 

He let out an amused huff. “That doesn’t surprise me at all. Alright kid, what are you looking for again?”

 

The relief that washed across her expression nearly made him flush. She was so innocent and adorable… he wanted to boop her nose.

 

_ What. The fuck. _

 

“Terracotta pots?” she threw her hands in front of her chest defensively. “I know, I know, I’m  _ way _ off.”

 

“No worries. This place is a mess right now. Literally nothing makes sense. The pots are probably in men’s clothing for all we know. But,” he held out his hand to her, flashing a grin, “let’s start in gardening, shall we?”

 

The smile she gave him lit up her entire face and he very nearly died when she grabbed his hand.

 

_ Oh, _ this girl.

 

\------

 

It was Black Friday.

 

Well, technically it was still Thursday, but it was his black Friday shift. It was nearing midnight and the managers were all lined up in front of the staff, clamoring on about the chaos that was about to ensue. A large portion of the staff were people Ben didn’t recognize - either brought on specifically for the holiday season (those were the ones who looked terrified) or day shift workers who got roped into helping (those were the ones who looked completely pissed).

 

Phasma had discussed how to keep themselves safe in the chaos, how to handle irate customers ‘with grace’, when it was okay to push back, and when to call a manager to assist. As soon as she was finished, Hux launched into a tirade about how the insanity did not mean that they could slack off or avoid responsibility. He would have a ‘watchful eye on everyone’ and was more than willing to fire anyone for not maintaining professionalism. Phasma had the decency to look apologetic at that.

 

As his manager blathered on, Ben allowed his eye to roam, looking for a particular face in the masses. It didn’t take too long to find her, she was staring right at him waving one hand right at her waist. She had clearly been trying to get his attention. But for how long? He felt dense. After locking eyes with her he sent her a subtle thumbs up,  _ you okay? _

 

She returned the gesture,  _ a s good as I can be. _

 

He gave her a small nod, allowing a gentle smile to grace his lips. In return, she pushed her pointer fingers and thumbs together, creating a butt a’la Benedict Cumberbatch. He snorted before Hux shot him _a look_ that shut him up quick.

 

He and Rey hadn’t seen much of each other, but what little they did were some of the greatest moments of his life. Yes, he was being dramatic. No, he didn’t care. She was fun, adventurous, smart, ambitious. He listened while she talked on and on about her future plans, her goals, why she took the job. She was  _ in between career paths.  _ He wasn’t sure what that meant, but she seemed determined so he just nodded along.

 

He didn’t tell her much about himself in return. His excuse was that he preferred listening to talking. Not necessarily a lie, but not the full truth either. She was sweet and fun and innocent - he wasn’t about to push away his one work friend by telling her all of his deep dark secrets right from the get go.

 

And his favorite part? She was  _ such  _ a flirt. He was used to women coming on to him, trying to seduce him, coerce him into bed. It was tedious and he loathed it. This was completely different. She would brush her hand against his when reaching for boxes, shoot him thumbs up and heart gestures from across aisles, give him awkward little side hugs when they parted ways at the end of a shift.

 

It was literally the most adorable thing he had ever witnessed. He was loving it but definitely not returning the favor. No - instead, he was awkward, off putting, and, well, lame. He would make the worst jokes that she had the courtesy to laugh at. He would stutter at her out-of-nowhere compliments and trip over his words when she let her hair down in the locker room.

 

How she put up with it, he had no idea. He was..  _ ugh. _

 

Just ugh.

 

Hux dismissed the masses with a “to your stations” and Ben turned to head back to his department. But a small hand wrapped around his wrist, accompanied by a soft throat-clearing. He looked sideways - and down - to find Rey with her bright, caramel eyes shining up at him.

 

“Benjamin Solo,” she began, her voice grave, “I need you to know, in case either or both of us die tonight, that I think your cow-licked hair is absolutely precious.” she reached up with her other hand, smoothing down what he presumed was the disaster that is his hair.

 

He  _ felt _ his blush. He gaped at her, searching for a response, but none came. She gave him a dazzling smile and was off in a flash, chasing behind an extremely frazzled Phasma. He willed his heart to slow down, flexing the hand that Rey had almost been holding.

 

He was pathetic.

 

He was also being yelled at by his manager.

 

_ Showtime . _

 

\----

 

_ J esus  fucking Christ on a cracker. _

 

The mantra circled in his head, over and over. It was never ending. Wave after wave of flesh and winter wear forced its way through, around, over him. He had never been  _ knocked over _ so many times in his life. It was insane! Where did all of these people come from? And why were they here? Why were they so desperate? Whatever happened to  _ thankful!? _

 

Ben had never, not once, participated in black Friday. He had always assumed the things he saw online were over the top exaggerations to spice up what was probably a very boring ‘holiday’. But no, they have always been completely accurate. It was absolutely mental. He might actually die.

 

“Where the  _ fuck _ are the tickets for the flat screens?!”

 

“They’re in-”

 

“NO! Show me!”

 

“Ma’am I can’t leave my station but if you-”

 

“SHOW ME OR I’LL MAKE SURE YOU’RE FIRED.”

 

He sighed and turned away from her. He found that ignoring certain customers worked. They would scream at him a little bit, just like the tiny lady behind him was, but eventually would realize they weren’t getting anywhere and walk off.

 

She walked off.

 

He was trying to put items back on shelves, but things just kept disappearing. There was absolutely no way this many people needed headphones. Everyone already owned headphones. Especially cheap-ass earbuds. There was no need for them to keep flying off the shelves.

 

He felt a hand wrap around his wrist and froze, half expecting to be dragged off to God-knows-where again. He took a breath to steady himself and turned. It was Rey, her eyes glassy, her face puffy. She had a store issued t-shirt on, not the casual blue polo and vest like she had earlier.

 

“Hey Ben, I-”

 

He grabbed her hand and pulled her through the crowd, entering the stock room in a flash before turning to face her with what he knew was worry written over his face. His hand stayed wrapped around hers, while the other shakily touched a cut just under her jaw line.

 

“Oh Rey,” he mumbled and a few tears spilled down her cheeks.

 

“I don’t even remember why he was so mad at me. But he tore my shirt when he grabbed me, and then when I tripped he hit me! He had to be smashed, there’s no other explanation. Phasma took care of him, and I think he’s banned but she said I couldn’t go home unless I wanted to lose my job. She said it wasn’t her decision or she’d let me. So I asked for a break to compose myself and I just really needed to see you this is  _ so  _ scary I was kidding earlier about dying but now-”

 

He pulled her tightly against him, his arms enveloping her and his face burying itself into her hair.

 

“People are fucking cunts,” he growled.

 

There was a silent pause. A pause that made him loathe his own existence and his inability to comfort someone like an actual human being. Once more he willed the earth to open up and swallow him. But then she giggled - she actually giggled, causing a wave of warm, soft happiness to flow through his limbs. He heard her sniff, felt her wipe her face, before her arms were wrapping around him too.  
  


“Thank you,” she mumbled into his chest.

 

\-----

 

It was that brief window of time between Thanksgiving and Christmas where nothing was  _ really _ going on. 

 

Sure, they were busy - but that was it. Ben was tired, the bags under his eyes might as well have been tattooed there. Things at home were… Rocky to say the least. He was desperate to get out. The relationship with his parents had managed to improve just a smidge over the years, but the constant state of close quarters was starting affect that.

 

He felt like a teenager again. He went to work, took his time getting home, collapsed into bed for a few hours, and then just… hid from his folks until it was time for his next shift. It was pathetic.  _ He  _ was pathetic. He was  _ not   _ fond  of this chapter in his life. Really, all he needed was the ramen diet and a gaming headset. Maybe a piss bottle or two under his bed.

 

There was a certain something - or someone - that he  _ was _ growing rather fond of, however. From his crouched position restocking the magazines, he could catch glimpses of her as she walked back and forth, putting new items on display. 

 

Every time she had another piece of merchandise, she bent over to place them on the lower shelves instead of crouching as Ben probably would if he were doing it. 

 

And every time she bent over he was gifted a glorious view that made his heart stutter and his thoughts go silent. 

 

Her standard issued khakis were tight enough that he could make out just how much she  _ wasn't  _ wearing under them. It did things to him, and his mind wanted to wander but he stopped those thoughts quickly. He couldn't - wouldn’t - take advantage of her that way. 

 

_ She'd never speak to you again, you creep.  _

 

He could've sworn there was a little shimmy to her hips the last time she bent over. It was probably his imagination. No, it  _ definitely  _ was his imagination. Rey wasn't like that. He was just lonely. A sad, lonely, loser living at home with his parents and pining after a coworker who was the only friend he currently had. 

 

His beautiful, gorgeous, funny, sexy, adorable coworker. 

 

_ Ugh, I'm disgusting. _

 

He needed to do some actual work. 

 

\------

 

It was five days before Christmas, a Friday. A terrible combination, really.

 

Ben was sitting in his dad’s beat up piece-of-shit Ford. Why? So people wouldn’t notice him. He realized very quickly driving his own not-beat-up piece of shit to work was problematic.

 

It got broken into. 

 

Twice.

 

And also because he was having an existential crisis.

 

Ever since the hell that was Black Friday - barely three weeks ago - this job had steadily become completely unbearable. The shop was constantly busy, day and night. People showed up at night thinking they could ‘avoid the crowds’ and then had the audacity to be pissed  _ at him _ for it being so insanely crowded.  _ That _ made sense, right?

 

The staff were dropping like flies. He was raking in so much overtime that he questioned if it was legal. Ben wasn’t sure if he should be considered night shift anymore. He was there all the time, day or night. In fact, it had only been a mere six hours since he was last here, having worked his scheduled night shift and then the entire first shift because a cashier quit. He hated being on the register. It was a special kind of hell.

 

His hands were still on the steering wheel, the engine still running. Ben had parked as far back from the building as possible, per Hux’s orders. No one would notice if he just backed out and left. He didn’t have to put up with this. He could just go, dip more into his savings, find another shitty job that couldn’t possibly be as bad as  _ this _ .

 

There was a tap on his window.

 

With a jolt, he turned and locked on to those pretty, hopeful, kind eyes that he wanted so desperately to get lost in. Without hesitation, Ben rolled down the window.

 

“Hey big guy,” Rey mumbled, leaning her forearms on the window frame and allowing her head to duck in just a bit. “Not feeling it today, huh?”

 

He shook his head, couldn’t find the words.

 

”Neither am I, honestly,” a sigh. “But I really need the money. Literally gave myself a pep talk the entire way here.” She cocked her head a bit to the side. “Do you want to hear it?”

 

He nodded, a glimmer of amusement sparking between the two of them.

 

“Okay,” she took a deep breath. “Dammit Rey - well, you know, because  _ I’m  _ Rey and it was my pep talk. So..Dammit Ben! People are the worst! The absolute worst! Quite honestly the worst thing on this planet. And yeah, you have a job that puts you in close quarters with a whole fucking lot of them! They will make you miserable and awful and you might cry but-”

 

”Wow, I’m inspired.”

 

“Shut it, I’m not done!” She poked his cheek. “You know why that’s a good thing? Huh? Do you?” She shoved his shoulder. “Ben, do you?!”

 

“Oh. Sorry, I didn’t realize. No. I don’t.” He crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back in his seat, which she took as a sign to lean even farther into the window.

 

”Because! You get to be kind to them! You get to show them what a decent fucking human being is like! Surely a person or two will see how you’re acting and be like ‘damn, I shouldn’t be such a dick’ and they’ll change their ways and their families will be like ‘oh my god, it’s a Christmas miracle Grandpa Asswipe is being  _ helpful _ and  _ hugging mom _ ! That’s why it’s worth it! Because our kindness and helpfulness is going to fucking  _ save Christmas  _ for some poor kids who are terrified of their grandfather and he’ll die no longer a crusty old dick, but a kind, sweet grandpa with his family surrounding him and wishing him the best. It’s for the kids, Ben. It’s for the families.”

 

A pause.

 

“What the fuck, Rey.”

 

The laugh that left him was belly deep, echoing. The kind of laugh that shook his shoulders and forced his eyes to scrunch shut. He laughed long and loud and he couldn’t remember the last time he did that. When he finally let up and opened his eyes, he saw Rey staring at him.

 

“Don’t laugh at Christmas miracles, Ben.”

 

His grin melted into a more gentle, closed mouth smile instead and he found himself reaching to touch her cheek. “I think my pep talk is a little different.” His thumb traced across her freckles.

 

“oh…oh yeah?” she was flustered, her face turning pink.

 

“Yeah. It’d be more like…” he cocked his head, thinking. “Ben. This job is the worst. But Rey is there. Go see Rey. The end.”

 

Her hand fell over top of his still on her cheek. “Straight to the point. I like it. Did it work?” She squeezed.

 

“Yeah, it did.”

 

“Then let’s go save Christmas.”

 

\----

 

“Oh my god, Ben,” she groaned, her head dropping onto the break room table. He watched as her eyes rolled into the back of her head. She was chewing the pastry slowly, savoring every bite. The look on her face was euphoric. 

 

He felt smug. 

 

“This is so good,” another groan followed by another bite. “seriously you made these?” she gestured to the box of brownies sitting in front of her. 

 

“I mean they're out of a box, nothing fancy, but yeah I made them, I guess.” she didn't need to know that the other half of the batch sat in his room and were completely inappropriate for work. Something one of the guys in grocery - Poe - suggested. Said it'd help his nerves. Ironically, He was too nervous to try. 

 

Fuck, she really needed to stop groaning. 

 

“Ben, I mean this. Listen carefully. Are you listening? Look at me.” He did, giving her a nod. “I will literally put anything inside of me that you offer, you hear me? Anything. I want all of your offerings.” 

 

_What?_

 

He swallowed and slid into the seat across from her. Drumming his fingers on the table awkwardly, he took a moment to reign in his thoughts. 

 

“Anything you want, Rey. Just give me a heads up and it's yours.” 

 

Her eyes sparkled, a glint of what he swore was mischief echoing in her expression. What was she doing to him? 

 

“Oh, I really do hope you mean that.”

 

“I do? I mean, I do mean it.”

 

She took another massive bite, sending a thumbs up his way. 

 

\-----

 

Christmas Eve. They were actually open on Christmas Eve.

 

They closed at midnight, so technically Ben should have been blessed with a whopping two hour shift, but no - instead they had him come in at two in the afternoon and work until closing. Because they were short staffed. Or they hated him. Probably a little bit of both.

 

He was in his usual electronics, killing some time behind the help desk. There had been a steady flow of people all day but it was ten at night now, and it was finally - blessedly - slow. People wrapping, drinking, or sleeping. Actually celebrating, probably, instead of screaming at underpaid employees.

 

It was bizarre - he was actually bored. Really bored.

 

The majority of the people that found themselves in a Wal-Mart at ten on Christmas Eve were after last minute food purchases. A forgotten ingredient or sudden change of menu. Poe and the boys over in grocery were hopping, and he had considered going over there to help - but he didn’t want to get Hux yelling for not being at his post. It had been a smooth shift, why mess it up by being helpful?

 

Still. He was a good employee, his phone locked in the back with his jacket and keys. He had read every magazine hidden behind the desk, organized all of the shelves, even cleaned up stray trash. There wasn’t much else to do. Maybe he’d get lucky and be told to go home.

 

“Hey, Ben?”

 

He looked up from his third pass through their Christmas catalogue. He absolutely wasn’t drawing eyebrows on the toys. Rey was in front of him looking sheepish, guilt twinkling in her eyes.

 

“Hey Rey, what’s up?”

 

“Phasma sent me in the back for more pots. I can’t find the trolley…and I can’t pick them up. You don’t look busy?”

 

He ‘harumphed’ and pushed the magazine her way. “How dare you. I am  _ very _ busy. But I can set aside a moment to flex a bit.”

 

She rolled her eyes and turned on her heel, heading to the stockroom. Ben took a quick look around, seeing if Hux was nearby. Not seeing any sign of him, he dashed after Rey. She was already heading to the back corner where gardening was. He took a left and grabbed a trolley before following after her, feeling very much like a jittery little puppy running after it’s owner.

 

When he caught up to her, she was on her tiptoes, gripping the shelf in front of her and reaching impossibly high for…something.

 

“Uh..” he came up behind her and looked up, trying to see what she was reaching for. “Can I…grab whatever you’re failing at here?”

 

She dropped her hands and he heard her take a breath before she whipped around and smiled nervously at him. “Ah…nope! Nope, I’m just trying to be a little cheesy, I guess!” She pointed up with an anxious look.

 

Had he mentioned she was adorable? Because it’s true. She really, truly was the most adorable little thing he’d ever experienced. He gave her a lopsided grin, glancing briefly at the mistletoe that she had somehow managed to string above them.

 

She’d done this… for him? Heat spread from his cheeks to his toes, warming him as he stared into her amber flecked eyes. The realization that Rey -  _ her _ _,_ the only reason he had survived this holiday season - maybe, actually, possibly  _ w anted him _ was starting to dawn.

 

“Merry Christmas, Ben.”

 

“Merry Christmas, Rey.”

 

And now… now, he gets to  _ kiss _ her.

 

He bent down as she leaned up, arms wrapping around each other as if they had practiced. When his lips found hers he felt the earth shift beneath him. It was a gentle kiss, shy. It was unexpected and wonderful. He couldn’t have asked for anything else as perfect as this.

 

He felt her fingers thread through the back of his hair, giving him the confidence to glide his own down her spine and back up again. She shivered, pushing herself deeper into their kiss. She was so small in his hands, it gave him an overwhelming sense of pride and ownership.

 

He could only imagine the many ways he could make her his.

 

But then her lips left his and he opened his eyes to find hers twinkling up at him.

 

”That was just a pre-gift. To get us through the shift.”

 

”Oh, of course, a pre-gift.” His grip tightened on her waist and he pulled her into his chest. A quick peck into her hair and he was pulling away. “I’m not about that life, Rey. Sorry.”

 

“Wh…What?! What? Ben! Come back here! What did I do wrong! Hey!” He kept walking.

 

“I don’t know, Rey. You’re being such a tease. I don’t do teasing.”

 

”I wasn’t teasing! I was kissing!” He felt her finger poke his back. “Am I bad at it? Was it disappointing? Oh god! You didn’t want me to. Are you reporting me? Is this sexual harassment? Am I going to be fired? Ben, answer me, I have a right to know if I’m about to lose my job. I’m so sorry! I won’t do it again!”

 

He turned on his heel and in a moment had his lips gliding over hers once more. He could taste her peppermint gum, feel the tension rolling off of her, hear her sharp inhale. His senses were so quickly overwhelmed by her, she was all consuming. He wanted nothing more than to scoop her into his arms and whisk her out of here. He pulled back again.

 

“I’m teasing, Rey.”

 

”.. of course you are.”

 

A gentle peck to her nose.

“I would very much like to keep kissing you. Perhaps more.” His fingers found the back of her neck, running his knuckles up and down, slowly. He dipped his head and allowed himself to graze his nose across the shell of her ear. He was using all of his will power right now. Every last drop of it. Otherwise he would absolutely be fired for indecency. It might be worth it, honestly.

 

“Mmm, sorry Ben, I don’t want Hux finding your face between my thighs.” The look in her eyes as she said this was positively feral. 

 

He gaped.

 

\-----

 

New Years Eve. Of course, not a real holiday. So they were open and Ben was working his normal shift.

 

But, he was in a brilliant mood. Because he had put his notice in at the beginning of his shift, just two weeks left. He found a job. Hux wasn’t even phased. He was probably used to people heading out after half a year or so. It’s not exactly a job most people stick with.

 

Except for Hux, he supposed.

 

He wasn’t even upset about not working with Rey anymore. They had been practically joined at the hip since that first kiss. He saw or spoke to her every day, they got coffee after they clocked out after each shift. They texted each other frequently, which started out innocently enough before rapidly devolving into massively inappropriate.

 

She was a whirlwind. He was loving every second of it. He would absolutely miss catching her in the break room or the stockroom, ravaging her for a few moments, then getting back on the floor. He loved seeing her try to get back to work looking rather flustered. Yes, he would miss it. But he wasn’t  _ sad _ .

 

With this new job, actually doing what he studied, he would be able to get out of his parents’ home in no time and quite possibly get Rey into  _ his _ _._ If she wanted. He hoped to God she wanted.

 

He was getting ahead of himself. That’s what happens when they are once again completely dead. Ten on New Years? Yeah, there’s no one. He was flipping through the same magazine again, this time he definitely wasn’t adding fangs or knives. He felt her in front of him.

 

“So hey, it’s New Year’s Eve.”

 

“Mhmm. It is.”

 

“Well, I was kind of hoping-”

 

“Rey, do you want me to kiss you at midnight?” He gave her an exasperated look. “I’d have to seriously weigh the options here.”

 

“I mean, that’s not what I was going to ask.” 

 

The look he gave her was downright devious. “Is that so?”

 

“Mhmm. I was going to ask you something else. Since you put in your notice.”

 

He felt his grin spread, her eyes were sparkling at him.

 

“Will I get fired, then?”

“Oh yeah, but I figured you wouldn’t mind starting the new year between my thighs.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Firstly, I do not condone offering pot brownies to weed virgins. Don't do it, friends. It's not worth it. 
> 
> Secondly, I worked in retail hell and survived two holiday seasons. It was absolutely horrific, but neither of those times were at Wal-mart so please forgive any inaccuracies if you yourself have worked there. I have merely only ever been a customer, lol! 
> 
> Thank you for reading my silly little holiday fic! I do hope you enjoyed!! 
> 
> You can find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/chiIdishIandino)!


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